1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for replacing an existing control device in an automation system by a new control device.
The invention moreover relates to an automation system configured to implement the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In automation systems for technical or industrial plants, e.g., in the process industry, production and manufacturing industry, power industry, building engineering or network technology, physically distributed, non-central automation components, such as field or process devices, perform specified functions in the context of plant automation in the plant concerned, and in the course of this may exchange information that is relevant to the process, plant and/or devices, but always work together with higher-level components of the automation system, i.e., its control or engineering system. The components of the automation system include measuring transducers for pressure, temperature, flow rate, filling level and so forth, analysis devices for the analysis of gas or liquids, weighing systems, positioning actuators, position controllers for valves, other non-central regulators and frequency converters for electric motor drives. In order to exchange the data within the automation system, the automation components in the non-central peripheral region, in some cases in combination with non-central controllers and regulators with operation and observation, are connected together via fieldbuses or other communication paths, whereby different fieldbuses are connected together through bus couplers. The fieldbuses can, in turn, be connected through control devices, such as programmable logic automation devices, to a central plant bus, to which the control or engineering system, i.e., the central control, regulation, operation and observation system, is also connected. The control or engineering system consists of one or more control devices, whereby here the term control device also refers to a partial system within the control or engineering system.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,623,479 discloses an automation system in which the components of the automation system can communicate with the control system both by cables and wirelessly, whereby the wired communication is used for the process automation itself, and the wireless communication is used when there are malfunctions or during servicing of the wired communication system, or for special monitoring and control tasks. For the purposes of the wireless communication, the automation components contain radio transmitters or are connected in groups to radio transmitters. Radio transmitters in the form of adapters that can be detachably fitted to automation components have now also become known.
When an existing automation system is replaced by a new one, the existing automation components often continue to be used, and only the control system or parts of it (control device) are exchanged. The automation components can, however, only be connected to and operated by one system at a time. When exchanging the control device, the automation components are disconnected from the old control device and are connected to the new control device. This rewiring involves significant work, and results in long, expensive down-times. In order to reduce these down-times, new cables can be installed in addition to those that already exist, but there is often insufficient room in the cable ducts. Only after the automation components have been connected to the new control device can it be tested and brought into operation.